So I checked with the iPod. Seems that I can go louder with the sub at the same setting. With the iPod turned all the way up and the amp at the 9 o'clock position, it does seem louder than before.

my guess would be one of the 4 wires going from the harness into the plug that fits into the LC2i is loose.
that means you are only getting one channel worth of input
double check the 4 wires going into the plug

my guess would be one of the 4 wires going from the harness into the plug that fits into the LC2i is loose.
that means you are only getting one channel worth of input
double check the 4 wires going into the plug

Great! Now my subs are down on power and sound like crap! Sounded fine and now the bass is just gone. Sounds distorted too. Not happy. I suspect it's the lc2i.

Joy!

I have now replaced every part of the setup aside from the harness and the sub box. I don't care for the LC2i at all. From feeling the terminals on the left side of the unit, I worry that this is where the issue lies and that the connector may not be attached very firmly to what I assume is a circuit board inside the unit. I ditched the XD600/1 amp in favor of an HD750/1 and got another LC2i and a new 12W3v3-4. I am waiting on a response from VP as to whether I can fit a W6 sub in their box as well and I will ditch the W3. I haven't begun researching another option to the LC2i but will this week.

The question that has also continually come up in my mind in addition to a component issue is that since we have to use speaker level inputs is that any changes we make on the equalizer and tone settings in the iDrive affects the signal going to the LC2i. What bothers me about this is that whatever signal is being fed to the oem subs are being fed to the LC2i. So if we increase bass at all via iDrive either with the bass setting or eq settings, we are therefore altering the signal to the LC2i. I am not sure how this plays out once we start changing the settings on both the LC2i and whatever amp you use. I am wondering if we are effectively filtering the signal twice which could then effect the output we are getting.

All-in-all, everything works ok now but not exactly to my satisfaction. I am still not happy as to how much I have had to turn the gains up.

ILSMKU, if you are free this week, maybe we can get together and troubleshoot things.

The main reason of the LC2i with the EPS system OEM amp is its capacity to withstand 40V peaks at its inputs. Your OEM amp woofer outputs are capable of peaks in the 30V range.

This is what could happen with a passive LOC in the long term even when it is custom-build to withstand 30V:

I retired that LOC more than a year ago and moved to the LC2i just for this particualr reason.

My suggestion is:

- set AccuBASS gain to minimum
- set AccuBASS threashold to fully clockwise

That should give you "normal" bass. I do not like any of the Audiocontrol bass manipulation circuits (Epicenter and now AccuBASS) because they do not serve any purpose in our BMW. Actually, they cause problems like the one you are experiencing. And after doing this adjustment you will notice why: the AccuBASS seems to be adjusting itself after time, getting to the point of attenuating all the bass. This is quite difficult to find out under testing as I do not test devices for days, less so for weeks to catch up crap like this.

By setting the threashold to max -according to Audiocontrol- the bass level is "locked" and no AccuBASS effect is applied. Quite confusing but that's Audiocontrol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE TECH

I have now replaced every part of the setup aside from the harness and the sub box. I don't care for the LC2i at all. From feeling the terminals on the left side of the unit, I worry that this is where the issue lies and that the connector may not be attached very firmly to what I assume is a circuit board inside the unit. I ditched the XD600/1 amp in favor of an HD750/1 and got another LC2i and a new 12W3v3-4. I am waiting on a response from VP as to whether I can fit a W6 sub in their box as well and I will ditch the W3. I haven't begun researching another option to the LC2i but will this week.

The question that has also continually come up in my mind in addition to a component issue is that since we have to use speaker level inputs is that any changes we make on the equalizer and tone settings in the iDrive affects the signal going to the LC2i. What bothers me about this is that whatever signal is being fed to the oem subs are being fed to the LC2i. So if we increase bass at all via iDrive either with the bass setting or eq settings, we are therefore altering the signal to the LC2i. I am not sure how this plays out once we start changing the settings on both the LC2i and whatever amp you use. I am wondering if we are effectively filtering the signal twice which could then effect the output we are getting.

All-in-all, everything works ok now but not exactly to my satisfaction. I am still not happy as to how much I have had to turn the gains up.

ILSMKU, if you are free this week, maybe we can get together and troubleshoot things.

The main reason of the LC2i with the EPS system OEM amp is its capacity to withstand 40V peaks at its inputs. Your OEM amp woofer outputs are capable of peaks in the 30V range.

This is what could happen with a passive LOC in the long term even when it is custom-build to withstand 30V:

I retired that LOC more than a year ago and moved to the LC2i just for this particualr reason.

My suggestion is:

- set AccuBASS gain to minimum
- set AccuBASS threashold to fully clockwise

That should give you "normal" bass. I do not like any of the Audiocontrol bass manipulation circuits (Epicenter and now AccuBASS) because they do not serve any purpose in our BMW. Actually, they cause problems like the one you are experiencing. And after doing this adjustment you will notice why: the AccuBASS seems to be adjusting itself after time, getting to the point of attenuating all the bass. This is quite difficult to find out under testing as I do not test devices for days, less so for weeks to catch up crap like this.

By setting the threashold to max -according to Audiocontrol- the bass level is "locked" and no AccuBASS effect is applied. Quite confusing but that's Audiocontrol.

Unfortunately for me, the AccuBASS threshold was already at full clockwise and the AccuBASS gain was already at full counterclockwise.

What about my mention of the signals coming from the OEM in the first place? If the signals being sent to the OEM subs are already being filtered by the iDrive either via the Bass setting or the EQ, do we need to compensate somehow when adjusting the settings on the amp for the aftermarket sub?

Is there a higher end unit than the LC2i even if it's made by another company?

On the LC2i, I am currently using the Main Output for the RCAs since the sound increased when I swapped between using the Bass Output and the Main Output. Is this what you suggest?

I got some help from Technic and for me, turning the threshold dial from OFF to full blast and back worked!!!

Now let's see if it holds steady. Im pretty sure they slowly lost power last time. I'll monitor and report back.

Tech I'll hit you up on PM.

Thank you Technic.

Well that didnt last long! Got in my car this morning and bass was totally missing. I pulled over, pulled an RCA out and back in, it kicked in a little bit. but nothing close to what it was the day before. I then checked the LC2i and guess what... its smells funny. Like burnt electronics.

Well that didnt last long! Got in my car this morning and bass was totally missing. I pulled over, pulled an RCA out and back in, it kicked in a little bit. but nothing close to what it was the day before. I then checked the LC2i and guess what... its smells funny. Like burnt electronics.

WONDERFUL JOY!

I honestly think the LC2i is just a crappy unit. That's why I was asking him if he knew of a higher quality unit.

Unfortunately for me, the AccuBASS threshold was already at full clockwise and the AccuBASS gain was already at full counterclockwise.

What about my mention of the signals coming from the OEM in the first place? If the signals being sent to the OEM subs are already being filtered by the iDrive either via the Bass setting or the EQ, do we need to compensate somehow when adjusting the settings on the amp for the aftermarket sub?

Is there a higher end unit than the LC2i even if it's made by another company?

On the LC2i, I am currently using the Main Output for the RCAs since the sound increased when I swapped between using the Bass Output and the Main Output. Is this what you suggest?

Go back to the bass output and try it. In the meantime I will contact my supplier and find out if your unit can be replaced under warranty.

The OEM amp output signals are being split between the underseat woofers and the LC2i. Therefore any iDrive bass adjustment will affect both paths.

That's the way it works regardless of the LOC used in any sub install just because of the signal split.

A quick searched netted the Audison bit one. Not sure if that will work for us or not. Looks like a much nicer unit though.

The bit one is a full DSP processor and not just a LOC. I used one with the EPS OEM amp once... I had to add an Audiocontrol LC6i in between to block a bass distortion (the 30V peaks again) over the tweeters in the bit one.

The bit one is a full DSP processor and not just a LOC. I used one with the EPS OEM amp once... I had to add an Audiocontrol LC6i in between to block a bass distortion (the 30V peaks again) over the tweeters in the bit one.